Saving him
by Booklover1217
Summary: Melinda Halliwell is sick and tired of the way the Charmed sisters are treating her brother in the past and travels back in time to help him on his mission to save Wyatt, and ends up fixing more than she thought possible.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys, this is something that's been going around my head for the last week so…hope you enjoy. Chris revelation fiction.

Chapter one

The girl stood in the attic of the Halliwell mansion, or what had become of it. Her narrowed green-blue eyes took in the roof that had caved in during the latest battle between Wyatt and the resistance, the rotting floorboards and moth-eaten rug and sighed sadly.

It had used to be magnificent. It had been a place where she had felt safe and loved, even with demons constantly popping up everywhere. She had never felt more comfortable anywhere else, even after almost eight years.

It was all gone now, and had been gone for years now, since her mother and aunts had died at the hands of the very man who had destroyed the mansion only days before and caused her to grow up almost alone, with only her older brother to guide and raise her. Wyatt Mathew Halliwell.

Two hands suddenly rubbed against her shoulder, squeezing gently and causing her to turn and smile sadly up at the man who stood in front of her. He looked down at her, his light chocolate brown eyes questioning as she reached up and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

At his touch she gave a quiet sob and pulled him towards her abruptly, curling into the heat of his body, silently seeking comfort. She felt, rather than heard, him sigh seconds before his arms wrapped around her tightly, his chin nuzzling her head softly.

"Oh, come now, what's this?" he asked, gruffly, pulling her tightly against as if trying to forge them into one.

She sniffed noisily and pulled back to give him a watery smile. "Nothing…and everything. I don't want to leave you."

"As I don't want you to leave…but I also don't want you to be miserable all the time. Ever since I rescued you from…" he felt hot rage well up inside him but suppressed it quickly before she saw it in his eyes and continued, "Wyatt's torture chamber you've been in so much pain. And Chris's worry and pain being added to yours from the mental link is not helping in the least. You need to go to him. You need to help him as much as you need his help to get better."

She sighed, guiltily, "I know and I'm sorry," when he went to object she held her hand up, "Wait, I have to say this. I know it's worried you, and I'm sorry for that, but I can feel all the pain they are causing him and I can't stand it. I hate them for it. And as for the….incidents in the chamber I'm trying not to think of that. I know have to do this, but I'm worried about leaving you behind."

"Hey," he said, lifting her chin so she would meet his gaze, giving her the cocky smile she had fallen in love with, "I'm a demon. I'm invincible remember? And I'm only ever a call away," he reminded her, tapping her temple gently.

She rolled her eyes at him, laughing despite herself as she ran a hand through his long black hair. "Half demon, and you better prove that by staying alive. I didn't marry you for you to die on me," she said, glancing down at the tattooed ring on the third finger of her left hand.

He smiled at her before leaning down and kissing her deeply, "As long as you continue to use the pain spell until your healed, it's a deal," before reaching into his pocket and pulling a piece of paper out of her hand.

"Okay," she smiled, before taking the spell that he had handed to her, "then I guess we better do this."

He watched her as she walked towards the faded triquetra on the attic wall and as she hesitated before shakily reading the spell aloud.

_Hear these words, hear the rhyme_

_Heed the hope within my mind_

_Send me back to where I'll find_

_What I wish in place and time._

They both watched as the triquetra glowed a bright, blinding blue as she portal opened up in front of her.

She turned back and smiled sadly at him, "Well, bye bye demon-boy."

He smiled, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. "I'll be seeing you, vexing witch."

She gave a soft laugh, remembering the first time they'd meet in the Underworld and exchanged those goodbyes, before turning back to the portal, whispering, "I love you Damon," before stepping into the portal and letting it close behind her.

He sighed, slumping down against the attic floor when the triquetra stopped glowing and whispered back, "I love you more, Melinda Halliwell," before burying his head in his hands.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

The three charmed sisters stood in the attic, all glaring at the spot where their neurotic white-lighter had just orbed away, leaving them angry and frustrated as usual.

"Damn it, I am so sick of Chris's 'future consequences' crap," Paige snapped as Phoebe winced, as her head pounded with the hot rage coming from Paige and Piper.

"Why can't he just give us straight answers?" Piper snapped, pacing back and forth.

"I don't know, okay, but can you guys calm the hell down? I just got used to dealing with Piper's pregnancy emotions, I can't handle all this anger," Phoebe said, holding her head, as she sat down on the lounge.

Both Piper and Paige turned and gave her sister sympathetic looks and sat down on either side of her.

"Sorry, Phoebs, it's just…he's just so…argh….he's driving me nuts. Why can't I blow him up again?" Piper snapped, getting back up to resume pacing.

"Because it's against the rules….and it's murder. And it could change a lot- why is the triquetra glowing again?" Paige suddenly said, jumping up and pointing at the triquetra, which no-one had bothered to wash off the attic wall yet, which was indeed glowing a familiar blue.

"Oh, shit!" Phoebe muttered, getting up to stand in front of the triquetra beside Paige and Piper, who had placed a protective hand on her slightly swollen stomach, in a defensive stance.

What came out of the triquetra shocked them all, leaving them frozen and speechless. A girl about nineteen stepped out casually, as if she does this every day. She was tall, about five feet 7, and they were shocked by how dangerously thin she was, as if she hadn't eaten a good meal in months.

Her hair was dark brown and hung down her back in a messy tangle and her eyes were incredibly large in her pale face and were a bright blue/green and were darkened by large circles beneath her eyes.

She stared at them icily, as they studied her.

She was wearing tight black jeans that were ripped in several places revealing scars that seemed to cover her entire body and a black leather jacket that was dusty and looked older than the girl herself.

Paige, being the first to get over the shock of the girl's appearance, screamed, "Table" and orbed it towards the girl, trying to knock her away from them and back through the portal which was still glowing the bright blue.

The girl, however, simply flicked her wrists upwards and froze the table inches from her face. She glared at Paige angrily, before saying, "table," and orbing the table back to its original position against the wall.

"Well, that was a nice welcome. Very friendly of you. Would you mind telling me what I did to warrant an attack like that, because if walking through a portal screams 'potential danger' I've really got to work on my entrances," the girl said sarcastically, stepping away from the wall as it faded and closed altogether, her eyes narrowed as if she was studying them.

"Who are you?" Piper asked her, distrust evident in her face, at the same time Phoebe asked, "Where are you from?"

The girl raised her eyebrows at them, before wandering around the attic, looking curiously at the old furniture, "Well, it looks as if I have the advantage. I know all about you. You're the Charmed ones, Piper, Phoebe and Paige, and once upon a time, Prue."

"What do you know about Prue?" Piper said, her voice turning icy.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Don't get your knickers in a twist. I'm not going to hurt you, or your son or even your unborn child," she said, glancing pointedly at Piper's stomach, "and before your race towards your precious book, I'm not after that either. I'm looking for Chris."

That froze the sisters, as they all stared at her with wide eyes. "Chris?" Phoebe asked, uncertainly, studying the girl with clearer eyes.

The girl rolled her eyes again. "Yes, Chris. I'm sure you know him. Six foot two, longish brown hair, green eyes, half white-lighter half witch, slightly neurotic and currently your white-lighter

Paige chuckled at her description, but Piper was still all business. "What do you want with Chris?"

The girl suddenly turned icy, her eyes narrowed on Piper. "As if you really get care what I want with Chris. Don't you do get all protective of him after months and months of distrusting and wishing him away when all he has done is try and protect your evil, bastard of a son."

Piper, Phoebe and Paige gaped at the venom in the girl's voice before watching her turn and mutter under her breath, "If you won't call him then I will. CHRIS!"

* * *

><p>Chris sat cross-legged on the top of the Golden Gate Bridge, staring absently over San Francisco, thinking back on his latest clash with the sisters.<p>

That was what he thought of them, had to find of them, as since he'd arrived. He couldn't think of them as his mum, and his aunts. It would only cause him pain. More pain than they were causing him now.

They didn't trust him, they had no reason to but he couldn't help feeling their distrust cut through him every time they questioned his motives or accused him of being out to get Wyatt.

He ran a trembling hand through his long black hair, sniffling as he blinked back tears. If he had to be completely honest, it was eating him up inside but there was nothing he could do about it. All he had to do was complete his mission and go home. That was all, he told him, trying to make himself believe it.

He couldn't blow his cover but it was getting harder and harder not revealing the secret of who he was.

_CHRIS! _

Chris froze at the familiar voice, disbelief blooming in his mind. No way. It couldn't be.

_Chris, come down here. It's okay, it's me. _

This time the voice came from the mental link only they could use, and he knew it was true, that it was her and disappeared in a blur of white and blue. He stumbled when he reappeared in the manor in his haste and found himself staring at Mu- the sisters he corrected himself, staring at him in shocked disbelief.

He began to ask them where she was when he heard a voice whisper, "Chris."

He spun in a circle, a wide grin on his face. "Mel!" he cried, happily and ran towards her, grabbing her and spinning her in a circle.

Mel laughed, giving her first genuine smile since she'd arrived, "Hello big brother."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

"Big brother?" Piper muttered to Phoebe, confusion evident on her face as she watched Chris and the girl laughing and hugging. In all the time he'd been there she had never once seen him laugh, or even smile as much as he did at the girl- his sister.

Phoebe shrugged a frown on her face. "It must be. Why would they say so otherwise? I mean, look at them," she said, pointing at them, as they talked quietly, still hugging as if they didn't ever want to let go.

Paige watched them warily. "But why didn't he mention her before?"

Piper rolled her eyes. "When does he mention anything to do with the future or even about himself? We only found out he was half white-lighter half witch because he had no other choice. _Future consequences, _remember?"

"So…" Phoebe said slowly, causing them both to turn and look at her, Chris still smiling, Melinda now frowning at the sisters, "your Chris's sister?"

As the sisters watched them they suddenly noticed the similarities between the two. They were both tall, had the same colour hair, and the same shaped eyes and the green in Melinda's eyes was the same as Chris's.

Melinda raised her eyebrows at her and said to Chris mentally, _did I stutter? _

_Be nice, _he whispered back, earning a look that rivalled their mothers before saying back, _like they've been nice to you all these months?_

However she relented and gave them a stiff smile, "Yes, his younger sister to be exact."

"And why are you here?" Piper asked, suspicion written all over her face.

Phoebe elbowed her slyly in the side at the tone of her voice and gave her a look that said, calm down.

Mel turned towards Piper and sent her a sudden icy look. "I'm here to visit my brother and help him on this mission. And also, for once, I thought he'd enjoy being around someone who actually likes him, and cares about him, and the fact that he is practically killing himself every day to protect your precious baby," she snapped at her.

Piper was dumbstruck by her answer and remained silent but Paige asked, "Who said we don't like Chris?"

Mel looked at the ceiling as if begging for patience and ignored Chris's telepathic whispers in her head telling her to _calm down_, and _just ignore them_.

"Well, where I come from when we like someone we don't treat them like a common criminal, and accuse them of everything bad in the book," Mel snapped.

Piper, having had enough of the girl's attitude, snapped, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Chris froze at the question and stared in horror at his sister who, had also had enough of their attitudes, smirked and said, "Who me? I'm Melinda Halliwell, sister to Wyatt and Chris Halliwell and daughter to Leo Wyatt and Piper Halliwell."

All three sisters stared in shock at her as her answer registered, but before they could react Mel took Chris's arm and orbed away without another word.

* * *

><p>"What did she just say? What did she say?" Piper screamed in a voice higher than usual, looking as if she was about to hyperventilate.<p>

"Piper, calm down, think of the baby. She had to be lying, okay. No reason to freak out," Paige told her, rubbing Piper's back as she led her to the couch to sit her down.

But what Phoebe said next made them freeze. "Why would she lie?"

Paige turned, frowning. "Why wouldn't she?"

Phoebe ran a hand through her hand and chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Guys, I could feel her emotions through everything. She isn't blocked like Chris is. And…I could feel so much pain, so much anger coming of her. She thinks she hates us, she wants to hate us. She does hate what we've done to Chris. She loves Chris more than anyone. He's definitely her brother, and when she said her name I felt her disgust when she admitted her connection to us."

Piper sat down, putting her head between her knees, rocking back and forth. "How can this be happening? How can she…how can that girl be my daughter? And Chris? Oh my god!" she said, in sudden realisation as she put her hands to her stomach and felt a tingling feeling that she recognised as the baby moving, "How horrible have I been to him? My own son."

"Hey, when did we decide they were your children?" Paige asked in disbelief.

"She wasn't lying, Paige. I would've felt it," Phoebe said, confidently, before sitting down next to Piper, "Holy crap, this is just too much to handle."

"You're telling me," Piper said, her voice muffled by her knees, guilt gnawing away at her insides.

"Piper, sweetie, you didn't know," Phoebe said, sensing her guilt.

"That doesn't make it any better. How could I not recognise my own son? He is a male version of me, for god's sake. Or my daughter for that matter," Piper said, running a hand through her hair and lifting wide eyes to her sisters.

"How could you recognise them, when they don't even technically exist yet? You were only protecting Wyatt?" Paige said, soothingly, rubbing her back.

"Yeah, and so was Chris, when it was plainly obvious now that I should have been protecting Chris. All the times he went down to the underworld and could've been killed and I just let him go. What kind of mother am I?" she cried, burying her face in her hands.

Phoebe and Paige exchanged a look, completely at loss at what to say.

"We need to get them back here," Paige told Piper decisively, "so we can keep an eye on them and you can do whatever Mum's do when they found out they have two new kids."

Paige gave Phoebe a perplexed look that made her laugh. She bit back her laugh, however, when Piper lifted her head and glared at them.

"And how are we going to do that? They obviously hate me."

"They don't hate you, Piper. Well….the Melinda girl, she _kind of_ dislikes you but, hey, she dislikes all of us." Phoebe said, positively, realising her mistake when Piper groaned and reburied her head.

"Good job, Phoebs." Paige said, sarcastically before jumping up, her eyes bright. "I got it. We can use a blood summoning spell, we'll just have to, tweak it a little, to get them back."

"And how are we going to stop them just orbing back away?" Piper asked, eyebrows raised.

She grinned almost devilishly, "Leave that to me."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

Mel appeared atop the golden gate bridge, knowing that even in this time it would be Chris's favourite haunt, and sighed, avoiding Chris's eyes as she let go of his arm.

She could feel his anger beating at her like a red haze through their mental link, and she flinched as he began to swear behind her. She didn't need to turn around to see how angry he was, she could already feel it.

"Mel, why the hell did you do that? Do you know how hard I worked to keep my identity secret from them? How much I struggled to do so?" he snapped at her, grabbing her arm and turning her to face him.

She narrowed her eyes at him, shaking off his arm as the wind whipping her hair hard around her face which was now tight with anger.

"As a matter of fact, yes I do know how hard it was for you. I don't, however, understand how you could keep this secret from them when all it did was make things bloody worse for you. They didn't trust you from the start, they mistreated you, they shunned you, and they accused you of being the one after Wyatt, of all things, and you still let them believe you were just some random guy from the future. They did everything they could to hurt you, Chris, so I thought they should hurt just as much by realising what a-holes they've been to their own son and nephew."

Chris stared at her speechless, as she turned away from him, orbing up onto one of the poles farther along the bridge and hugged her knees to her chest. He sighed, and orbed after her, sitting cross-legged beside her.

"Mel….I'm…" he began, but she held her hand up and tapped her temple with a finger, without looking at him.

"I know. You're sorry," she said, stiffly, before letting her shoulders droop and turning her to peek at Chris from beneath her knotted hair, "I'm sorry too, Chris. I really am. It's just, your my only family left and we have always looked out for each other, no matter what. I mean you practically raised me. And they, they hurt you, which is not okay with me, no matter the circumstance. And, to be perfectly honest, I was more than a little POed that Paige tried to hit me with a table," she said, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

She saw Chris's mouth twitch, before he said, "You never had a very good temper."

Mel snorted, "Isn't that the kettle calling the pot black. Be honest with me though Chris, how can you handle how they act here, so distrusting and mean?"

Chris shook his head, and looked out over San Francisco, the wind whipping his hair back from his face. "I just remember who they were, or who they become when we grow up. I mean, they are still my mum and aunts," he told her, begging her to understand.

She nodded her head, thoughtfully, shifting her shoulders subtly as she realised that the pain spell had begun wearing off. She groaned mentally. If she didn't get her hands on potion ingredients soon, Chris would find out what Wyatt had done to her and the shit would hit the fan.

"I wish I could be that forgiving, but I never was the forgiving type. Remember that time Wyatt broke the head off my Barbie doll when I was six?"

Chris laughed, and revelled in how great I felt to be actually relaxed enough to do so. "Yeah, you didn't speak to him for about a month, no matter what he did to try to make up for it."

She laughed, and then turned to him, looking at him seriously. "I've missed this."

Chris sighed, and pulled her into a hug, not noticing when she stiffened when his hands brushed her side and back. "I've missed this too."

Mel ignored the severe pain in her pain and hugged him back tightly before stiffening when she felt a familiar warm pooling sensation in her stomach and looked up at Chris who was staring at his own stomach in an almost amused horror.

"They didn't," Mel said, her eyes narrowed with anger.

Chris shook his head, almost in disbelief. "They did," before he grabbed her arm as he felt the irresistible urge to orb to the manor and they disappeared in a spray of blue and white sparks.

AN/ Not entirely sure how I feel about this chapter. I hope it gives everyone more insight into Chris's and Melinda's relationship. I promise the next chapter will be more entertaining and a lot longer. Reviews are appreciated :)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

_I can't believe that they did that. This is such an invasion of….of….of free will. I'M GOING TO KICK THEIR ASSES. _Melinda silently raged, using the mental link once shared by all the Halliwell children but now only shared by Chris and herself, as she paced back and forth, throwing dirty looks at the sisters as they followed her progress across the floor and back nervously.

Chris winced, as a headache began to pulse irritatingly behind his eyes. He sighed mentally and said to her, _Yes, you've said that. Ten bloody times. Now can you calm down so I can get a break? Now I know how Phoebe feels. _

Mel shot him an especially nasty look, and continued pacing, the pain in her back having intensified so now instead of an irritating burning sensation it now feel as if a hundred knives were slowly digging their way into her flesh. Sweat broke out as she breathed through the pain.

Across the room Piper was watching Melinda pace back and forth, her face pinched with anger, before sending a pointed look at Paige, which said, say something before she tries to orb and gets angrier.

Paige glared at her, and then turned towards her niece, clearing her throat nervously, "Uh…Mel?"

"What?" Mel swung around to face her, frowning.

Paige took a step back, giving her sisters a 'help me' look. Phoebe sighed and stepped forward.

"Look, Melinda, I know you're upset…" Phoebe began.

Mel snorted. "I'm not upset, I'm PISSED OFF."

"HEY, language," Piper snapped at her, crossing her arms, and giving her her best 'do as your told' look.

Mel rolled her eyes. "Let's get one thing straight. I did not come here to fix broken relationships, or to get to know anyone, so you have no right to summon me here. I came here to help Chris. CHRIS!"

Piper stared at her daughter, as she glared back at her, so much anger and hurt in her eyes. What had they possibly done to make her hate them so much?

"Mel, come on, calm down," Chris said suddenly in a soothing voice, grabbing her shoulder to pull her towards him.

Mel let out a scream as his hand connected with her shoulder and she felt the thin, fragile scar tissue rupture beneath her shirt.

She collapsed in a heap on the floor, her back with pulsing with unbearable pain. She cried out as her back struck the hard wooden floor, and she began to feel the itchy drip of blood down her back.

"Mel!" Chris cried out, throwing himself to his knees beside her. He tenderly lifted her head to his knee, running his hair down her head as he threw a panicked look at the sisters, who were frozen staring at the scene in front of them.

Mel screamed in agony as the movement vibrated down her back, causing her to bury her face in her knee, biting her lip to keep from crying as the pain seared through her.

Chris soothed her, whispering comfortingly before turning angrily towards the sisters. "What are you doing, help her damn it!" he hissed at them.

Shaking herself Piper cried out, "Leo!" as she rushed to her newly found daughter's side, followed closely behind by her sisters.

"What's going on? What's wrong with her?" Paige asked Chris, who was staring at Mel in horror, his eyes enormous in his deadly white face.

"Why is she bleeding? Why is SHE BLEEDING?" Phoebe suddenly shrieked from the other side of Mel, where a large violet pool of blood had spread across the otherwise gleaming floorboards.

"Turn her over," Paige said, urgently, taking hold of her side.

Piper stared as her daughter grew whiter and whiter as more blood dripped out of her, panic causing a swarm of butterflies to take residence in her stomach.

"LEO WYATT GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!" she screamed at the roof, her hands shaking as she took one of daughter's icy cold hands in her own and pressed them to her face, tears beginning to pour down her cheeks.

Chris helped Paige roll Mel over and found the back of her shirt soaked through with blood. He gagged, feeling his vision going grey as Mel whimpered loudly below them.

Snapping back to reality, he helped Phoebe slowly lift the shirt from her back.

A sudden scream ripped the air around them, as Mel jerked away from their hands, shrieking in agony as her skin was pulled away along with it.

"I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry," Chris sobbed uncontrollably, before burying his head in his arm.

"Holy shit!" Paige breathed, her voice shuddering with her horror at what they found beneath her shirt. At her tone Chris looked up quickly from his arm. What he saw made him do a double take.

He heard Piper's voice above him, "Oh my god, I think I'm going to be sick," but all he could concentrate on was the rage suddenly rearing up inside him like a blood thirsty beast, as he viewed the damage- the torture- his sister had been put through and had hidden from him.

A numberless amount of whip lashes slashed starkly red across her snowy back taking the form of a twisted and perverted version of the usually innocent child's game noughts and crosses. Blood seeped from the wounds so thickly it was a wonder she had that much blood in her body to begin with.

He knew who had done this. Who had dared to hurt his sister, and he was going to pay for it.

Chris's came to his feet suddenly and roared at the ceiling, "I'm going to KILL THAT BASTARD!"

Piper head came up at his outburst, seeing the fury on his face and was about to go to him, as Paige and Phoebe desperately tried to stop the bleeding when they all heard the familiar jingling as Leo orbed in, eyes wide with panic.

"Piper, what's going on?" Leo asked, his eyes going to Chris as he paced mindlessly across the attic, wringing his wrists, "Is it Wyatt?"

Piper shook her head her eyes filling with tears again, as she pointed at Mel and whispered desperately, "Heal her, hurry."

Leo didn't question her and rushed to the girl's side. He blanched at the carvings on the girl's back, and at the tears and panic in each of the sister's eyes before he shook himself and felt the familiar warm glow as he healed the girl's back, agonisingly slowly.

Mel sat up abruptly, gasping as she felt the pain ebb away at Leo's healing hands. "Oh my god, Oh my god," she sobbed, burying her head in her hands.

At her voice Chris stopped his pacing, his rage momentarily forgotten, and rushed to her side, wrapping his arms around her, rocking her back and forth like he would when she was a child and had had a nightmare.

"It's okay, it's okay, Ssh," he whispered, kissing her head.

Mel shuddered, with the realisation that she could of died, as her mother and aunts watched them, relief and left over tears still in their eyes.

Leo looked at them bewildered, before turning to Piper who had gone deathly pale in the last ten minutes, "I think I'm going to need some answers."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Chris's POV

Chris sighed as he made his way slowly down the stairs, feeling a nauseous twist of anxiousness at leaving Mel alone upstairs, as she had a bath. He had almost lost her, his sister, the only person he had left in the world now that Bianca was dead and Wyatt was evil. He had lost his mother and his aunts, had never had his father, and had lost Wyatt to the dark side. He couldn't handle anymore loss.

_You keep worrying you're going to get grey hair and wrinkles_, Mel whispered softly in his head, her voice so weak and feeble it broke his heart.

Chris frowned, running a hand down his face as he stopped and took a seat halfway down the stairs, not ready to face his mother, father and aunts just yet.

_Why didn't you tell me, Mel? I would've helped you. I would've heal…I would've done something. _Chris told her, frustration evident in his voice at his inability to save her.

_Chris, listen to me. It's not your fault, you can't pick and choose your powers, _she told him, stern despite how fragile she was. _And the reason I didn't tell you was because I knew how you'd react, and despite everything he's done you can't kill Wyatt, Chris. You just can't. Promise me you won't try. _

Chris didn't respond, burying his head in his hands, groaning. It was just….too much. First months and months of distrust, and dislike bordering on hatred from his parents AND his aunts had taken their toll and now….this!

He could handle his parents and aunts not trusting him, but there was no way he would have been able to recover from losing Mel. She'd been all he'd had, except for Bianca, for almost ten years.

_Chris? _Mel asked him, sounding more tired and weak by the minute.

Chris sighed and lifted his head. _I promise I won't do anything. Now relax. I'll be back up later, okay? _

_Hmm…okay. What are you going to tell them? _

The one thing he hadn't missed about Mel was that she was just too perceptive for her own good.

_The truth, _he promised, before getting up from his perch on the step and walking towards the kitchen where his aunts and parents were waiting for answers.

Piper watched as Leo ran a face down his stunned face, looking so pale and drained that she felt a twinge of guilt for telling him. He knew how guilty he would be feeling for the way he had treated Chris, because her guilt was eating away at her insides.

"I can't believe it. Chris is…our son,' Leo said, his eyes wide as he stared at Piper and her protruding stomach, "that's him…your pregnant with him _right now?"_

Piper nodded, smiling sadly, rubbing her stomach lovingly with one hand and reaching out to squeeze Leo's hand with her other.

"I know, it's pretty hard to believe."

Leo just shook his head. "How didn't we see it? How blind could we possibly have been? He knew so much about us, and the book. And that girl…she's…"

Piper bit her lip, looking down, tears prickling her eyes as she pictured the violent slashes on her daughters back for what felt the hundredth time that night.

"Yes, she's our little girl," she told him, her voice husky from unshed tears.

"Melinda, Mel I think she prefers," Phoebe told him, her brown eyes wide, and her face still pale from the shock of what they'd seen.

Leo buried his face in his hands, groaning. "I've treated Chris horribly. I beat him, for god's sake. Not to mention almost killing him in Vahalla. He's never going to forgive me. And what happened to her back? Who would do that to someone?"

Paige reached out and rubbed Leo's back soothingly. "It wasn't only you, Leo. I wasn't exactly welcoming to him either, and he saved my life."

"Neither was I," Phoebe added, her eyes shadowed with guilt.

"We will fix this, Leo. We will," Piper promised, as Leo looked at her with tears shining in eyes like their son's, "we will fix our relationship with Chris and we will vanquish whoever dared to hurt our daughter."

A sudden cough made Piper's head snap towards the doorway of the kitchen where Chris stood, awkwardly, his hands buried in his pockets of his ratty, holey jeans that hung off his body like a second skin.

Piper stared at him, drinking him in hungrily.

He had been in the future for so long, almost six months, but she had never noticed how much Chris was like them. Maybe she hadn't wanted to see it. But now, knowing what she now knew, she couldn't get enough of looking at him.

How had she not noticed how much he was like her? Not just in looks but in personality as well. His dark brown hair, the shape of his eyes, his sarcastic half smile, as well as his neurotic nature and his need to protect everyone around him all came from her.

"Am I interrupting? Cause if I am, I can just go," Chris said, stiffly, pointing his head towards the door, his expression hopeful.

"NO!" Piper cried loudly, causing everyone including Chris to jump. She blushed and said, more calmly than she felt, "No, stay, please…I…ah…we want to talk to you."

Chris studied her expression for a minute before reluctantly taking a seat between Paige and Phoebe.

Phoebe, anxious and impatient as always, jumped straight in and asked, "Where is Melinda? I thought she'd come down with you so we could….talk about what happened."

"She's upstairs, having a bath. She needed to…" he flinched, "get the blood off."

Piper sat up, glancing anxiously at the ceiling, worried about her new found youngest being upstairs, alone and vulnerable. She went to stand but was restrained by Leo's hand on her arm. She looked down at him, and saw him shake his head.

She glared at him, but took her seat again. She glanced up the table at Chris to see if he'd noticed but he either had or he was a very good actor, and they all knew he was.

"Who did that to her, Chris? Did she say?" Paige asked him, reaching out to take his hand but quickly brought it back when she saw him flinch.

Chris's eyes hardened and he stood up and began pacing across the kitchen. "She didn't tell me, but I can harbor a pretty good guess."

"Who?" Leo asked hesitantly, speaking up for the first time since Chris had entered the room.

Chris swung around and glared at Leo. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Yes, we will," Piper told him, getting up awkwardly to go to see side. She took his hand, ignoring him trying to pull away, "Tell us."

Chris stared at her face for a moment, struggling, before saying stiffly, "Wyatt."

"WHAT?" Leo stood up, his face white as he stared at Chris, "No, he couldn't have. Wyatt wouldn't do that."

"Of course he wouldn't, because Wyatt is perfect. Just like he was perfect when he stole Mel's powers when she was three, and when he tortured me and killed millions of innocents before and after becoming ruler of the underworld. He could never do anything wrong in your eyes, could he Leo?"

Chris turned to storm out, and paused only at Piper's cry, "Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving."

"No, please, Chris don't go. Leo's just in shook. He's sorry, we all are…" she begged him.

Chris swung around, tears in his eyes and a look of so much hurt and betrayal on his face that it stopped Piper in her tracks.

"I don't want your apologies and I don't want to be loved because you feel obligated. You didn't like me when I was just me, so why should that change when I'm family."

With that said, he orbed out.

Piper started to sob as she wrapped her arms around her belly. Suddenly two sets of arms wrapped around her and hugged her to them, rubbing her back soothingly as Leo stood at the table, regretting his words completely.

"What have we done?" Piper sobbed.


End file.
